


December 9th

by BananaSins



Series: Collection of Mu-S.I.C. [3]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst, Gen, groh's mentioned again so i'm tagging it as original work instead of soul calibur, hoping it's angst enough
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2020-09-28 07:33:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20422265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BananaSins/pseuds/BananaSins
Summary: "Trine recalled the gentleness of the kiss. A kiss so gentle, it reeled feelings back in her heart. But like the ice, it was melting, and then everything was lost."





	December 9th

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by sele's December 9th featuring Lily.

_ ** [December 9th - sele-p featuring Lily](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skuokSQbenY) ** _

_A song inspiration story._

* * *

Trine accepted the fact that there was nothing that could fulfill the painful desire.

Footsteps were soft against the snowy ground, her pace slow. Covered in a thick, black hood, it had protected her from the harsh blow from the icy wind. The humble house was within her grasp, just a few more steps, a few more careful steps…

A flash of pain throbbed all over her body. Her knees buckled, resisting to fall face first on the chilly ground. No, she mustn’t fall. Not yet, just not yet... 

Grunting, she steadied herself and continued to walk. Every step she took was harder than the last. The icy chill had penetrated her skin, numbing her knees.

The pain only worsened from the cold.

Even the breath she exhaled was cool.

The shudders weren't enough to thaw her frostbitten skin. Blowing air into her hand was futile. Licking her frozen lips, Trine rubbed her icy palms together. Her hands were pale, as white as snow. She hoped it would be more than enough to warm her until she was greeted by the comfort of her home. Her vision was already limited from the night, yet her eyes were half-mast from exhaustion. 

She felt exhausted from the pain.

The pain of reaching her limits. 

Trine breathed a sigh of relief when she stood in front of the wooden door. She’d reached her destination without any more problems. She pulled the door open, relishing the warmth that greeted her quivering body, then stepped inside. She quickly shut the door closed, pushing it using her back. She let herself slid down, allowing herself to be vulnerable and give her time to breathe, to just breathe.

She pursed her lips as she closed her eyes. The warmth of her home thawed the cold, thawed her heart.

Trine recalled the gentleness of the kiss. A kiss so gentle, it reeled feelings back in her heart. But like the ice, it was melting, and then everything was lost.

They stood there, spending the precious seconds of life left in love. Trine reached up and captured his chapped lips as a final farewell, watching his olive eyes express joy as he closed his eyelids one last time before his body fell limp. She caught his body, his wound staining her scarlet top.

He was gone.

Groh’s final wish was for her to keep on living, to use the strength she’d worked to achieve in fruition. 

She’d embraced that wish.

Shaking her head, Trine slowly rose from the ground. Knowing the sudden heavy weight of her body was more than a desire for sleep, she continued to walk, deciding to keep her hood for tonight.

* * *

She’d awoken early again, right after losing consciousness. It was the same dream, the same wish she could never reach anymore. The thought alone had always made her cry, especially after waking up from a lovely dream. Trine hugged her knees as she kept bawling in silence, letting the tears speak what she felt, until she finally collapse from exhaustion and recover her strength for the next day. 

When she opened her eyes, it was bright inside her room. Glancing at the clock she nailed at the wall, it was already past noon.

There was still time left.

She got off the bed and walked towards her desk. She grabbed the quill that was needed to be disposed of soon, and unclasped the cap on the bottle of ink. Grabbing a piece of paper without checking if it was not used, she glided the tip covered in ink onto the surface, writing the words needed for the person that will receive this.

As she kept writing, she couldn’t help but let the corner of her lips curl upward. The memories flashed inside her mind, the same moments she’d carved and stored in her heart. It wasn’t just filled with her moments with Groh, she also cherished the time she had with other people, especially for a certain few.

It was sad that a certain someone wouldn’t know of her fate until the recipient of this letter could deliver the news herself.

Once Trine was done writing, she placed the quill to the side and skimmed what she wrote. Satisfied that she had written what needed to be written, she folded the paper four times. She rummaged through her drawer to find an envelope, and there was only a worn one for her to use.

This letter would be delivered in a week. If she was able to, she would be able to arrive on December 9th.

Just in time.

* * *

Powder of snow continued to descend from the night sky. The smell of hot chocolate wafted through her nose as she gazed outside from the window. The stars continued to shine and twinkle from the dark. It was a lovely sight.

Trine received a letter in return a few days ago. The recipient responded that she would arrive tonight, if there was nothing that would delay her journey.

She held onto the cup holder and moved the rim close to her lips. Blowing softly on her hot beverage, she took a sip, tasting the sweet, rich flavor of her drink. She placed it down on the table again and glanced back at the window.

From afar, Trine could see some figures walking forward from the snowy field. Seeing how the other person kept the petite figure from the cold, using the fabric of their cloak as a shield for their companion, it sparked something inside her. For some reason, it reminded her of something familiar. A simple act had stirred something more.

Ah… she remembered now.

It was the same thing Groh had done to her when they returned home. Despite being used to the cold, he still took it upon himself to sacrifice some warmth just so he could wrap his arm around her, his cloak covering her body.

Trine appreciated this, but asked him why would he risk freezing himself just to provide more warmth for her until they return home. He simply responded that he wanted to.

His face was stoic, but there was a hint of mirth in his eyes. She expressed what he was suppressing in his lips; a hearty chuckle. It was always like him to be a simple man, and she loved Groh for it.

There was a soft knock on the door. Ah, she’d arrived. Finishing her cup of chocolate, Trine stood up from her seat and moved.

She’d let her inside. The bodyguard decided to stay somewhere far. It was only between them, he was nothing more but a stranger. He concluded that he could guard his former princess better when he scouted outside. Trine was puzzled at the word “former”, but wholeheartedly agreed with his logic.

She welcomed Elke in her home, but instead of making her feel relaxed and homey, Trine cut straight to the chase: the reason why she asked Elke to come in her humble home.

* * *

Trine could only offer her a small smile towards her.

She had exhausted all of her tears from nights ago, and she was glad Elke was doing the crying for the two of them. She was snuggled up, her fingers clutching on her top. It was the same clothing she wore when she was hired as her bodyguard. Trine noted she hadn’t really took care of herself, considering her time was approaching. She was thankful Elke didn’t mind that at all. She’d received no comment about her unkempt hair, the bags that were developing underneath her eyes, the paleness of her skin, and how she just looked like she’d forgotten how to clean herself.

Trine released bated breath and glanced down at Elke, whose whimpers were loud and filled with dread. She felt her own body tremble, but knew no tears were forming on her eyes. She placed her arms around her body and hugged her gently, her eyes fluttering close. Her warmth allowed her to fantasize that it wasn’t Elke that was clinging on her worn body, it wasn’t Elke that was nuzzling her face against her chest, but it was Groh, her beloved, that she was embracing this moment. She recalled the memory of what it was like to be snuggled up, what it would feel like if he was currently clinging onto her right now

If only he wasn’t a dream that would never come true, then maybe she would find a way to live longer, to stay longer in this world and fight against her fate, like how she regained her consciousness and dragged herself out from the Astral Chaos.

He would still be there, healing their aching scars together through time. He would still be there, supporting her on her journey as a pirate, as she pushed him to be more open on being compassionate on helping strangers, especially those who are in need.

She would still be able to see him smile down at her.

Alas, Trine believed that only the love, the kiss of the last goodbye was the only way to lead to an eternity of happiness.

And that was what she spoke to Elke.

* * *

Was she foolish on seeking the path of getting stronger?

The tears in her eyes blurred her vision. Trine couldn’t fully grasp how Elke looked like now. Her body weighed more than a ton, her eyes half-lidded, and her breath was shallow. There were still a few more minutes until it was time, and she didn’t want to die in regret.

And yet…

If only she hadn't left him alone, if only she stayed with him, there would be more happiness for them to cherish together, more memories carved inside their heart.

Surely at the time she made her decision, even  _ she _ knew that...

* * *

Her face was helpless, and Trine couldn’t help but laugh.

There was nothing Elke could do, and she was happy she came here at her request in the first place. The thought of leaving someone behind, someone as kind as Elke, did add more guilt in her heart. But there was nothing she could do to prevent this, her time was now. Trine smiled at her, a sad smile. 

She’d thanked her for the time they spent together, thanked her for carving previous memories with her. Her time with Elke and Kagerou may be short, but she appreciated them, along with others she’d crossed paths with.

Trine asked her to get something on the box in another room. Elke obeyed, even if she was sniveling and still in pain, she left her for a moment to get what she was asking for.

A samurai sword, a gift from Tilak.

Elke’s eyes widened. She remembered Trine sharing how she acquired this beloved possession by making Tilak caved in from her request to duel with her. They were on the ship, the sun was warm and the breeze was relaxing. Trine noted that even though Tilak was one busy man, his respect for Master Drona was too strong, he was willing to sacrifice a bit of time to heed his wish.

Tilak’s late father had huge respect to Master Drona, and if Tilak refused the letter, he would be spitting on his father’s grave.

Elke was in awe as she kept listening to Trine’s tale. Even if Trine knew she was a strong warrior, she still took her time to train under a master and further hone her skills.

As she kept rummaging inside the box, she spotted something that had her name on it. 

A sword, with her name written on a slip of paper.

She grabbed onto the sword and returned to Trine’s quarters with haste.

Elke was greeted by a warm smile, and a statement that the first sword that was given to her will be now hers. Trine wanted her to wield her own sword, and this would be the easiest for her to use.

Her first idea was to give up her beloved Scharfricter, but the idea of the sword regaining its dormant power would cause more harm than good, and the Arondight replica was something special she couldn’t just give to Elke.

Trine wanted her to rename the sword Elke would now wield.

As her vision slowly fades and the weight on her body getting lighter, her final request for Elke was to visit the dojo in India and train under Master Drona. He would be more than a perfect instructor to help her defend herself, and he would be more than pleased to see Elke wielding the sword that was originally given to him.

Trine slipped out a smile and closed her eyes, the face of Elke the last thing she would see before her mind drifted to the people that made her life the best.

Master Drona, Maxi, Haoran, Kyam, The Merchant, Mitsurugi, Haoyu, Edgemaster, Kilik... 

Sig, Sanna, Tate, Curtis…

Elke and Kagerou...

Groh…

Oh, Groh...

* * *

The snow continued to descend from above, as the stars twinkled at the distance.

This was… a familiar sight.

Trine glanced down to see the same cup of hot chocolate on the table. When she saw her hand, it wasn’t the same paleness that she had the other night.

Her color returned to normal.

Glancing at the window, she saw a lone figure walking towards in her direction. The figure was tall, and she felt her heart flutter.

Closing her eyes, she lifted the cup and drank her beverage.

Trine wanted to be happy someday.

This was the start of her eternal happiness.


End file.
